The Unveiling (D'Shar Men 2)

"How about this? Relax for tonight. Come out with us, have a few beers, and learn what life is really like with no filter."

"How'd you get so smart, Marsden?"

"I had three older brothers who left a pretty big impression on me."

Bastien couldn’t help but smile at the kind words.

"Before this becomes a Lifetime movie, I'm going to hang up and get dressed. See you soon, bro."

"Lifetime?" Half the time Bastien felt like Mars was speaking another language.

"Look it up."

The dial tone sounded, and Bastien scowled. "I need a dictionary to understand what the hell he's talking about." The corners of his mouth curved upward into a smile, despite his grumbling. This was why Marsden was such a ladies man. His charisma was off the charts.

Thirty minutes later he was in a booth at the local wing spot with Kade and Mars, waiting on Phelan to arrive.

Mars glanced at the black Rolex on his wrist. "Where is he?"

Kade took a drink of the house lager and answered. "With the wedding coming up in a month we're lucky we got him to come out at all."

"In his defense, after what happened to Zasha you can't blame the man for being overprotective," Bastien said.

"Spoken like a true General," Mars said, saluting him with his beer.

Bastien rolled his eyes and glanced up. "Speak of the Sharian." Phelan was headed toward them, long legs eating up the wooden floor to join them at the table in the back of the bar.

"Sorry I'm so late. I was at the cake tasting."

"At least it was something fun this time because the color china pattern thing—" Mars dropped his head and pretended to snore.

"I can't wait until The Wanting knocks you on your ass." Phelan shook his head as they all burst into laughter.

"I promise you when it does it won't be a grand affair. Three words, simple, personal, and meaningful." Kade grinned.

"You have no clue what kind of women your mate will be," Phelan said.

"It doesn't matter. Mars can convince anyone to do anything," Bastien said.

"Not with this one," Phelan said as he shook his head. "That'd make things too easy. Mars would get bored."

"Can we stop talking about me like I'm not here?" Mars asked.

"Not fun when the shoe is on the other foot, is it?" Bastien asked.

"Mhmm," Mars said. His response was lost behind the mug he was drinking from. Kade and Phelan snickered. The waitress returned with a fresh pitcher.

"What can I get you?" she asked, flashing Phelan a friendly smile.

"Just a cold mug," Phelan said.

"You got it." She set the fresh pitcher on the table, removed the empty and sashayed her way back to the front counter.

"How's Zasha doing? I feel like I don’t see much of her even though we live in the same house," Kade said.

"Working more than I'd like, she's obsessed with finding Tavel. I think it helps her cope with what happened. No one wants to get the son of a bitch more than me, but not at the expense of her health. She puts in full days on top of the wedding planning. I have to say I'll be happy when all of this is over."

The waitress returned with a mug. Bastien poured while Phelan thanked her. The man needed to relax.